A New Kind of World
by magicalmoments
Summary: When Harry is sucked into the Pensieve, he finds himself in a new world where he is no longer the Boy Who Lived. Follow Harry's journey as he struggles with true love, sacrifice, courage, and finding himself. NOT SLASH. HPGW, RWHG, NLLL
1. Prologue

A New Kind Of World

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Complete summary: When Harry is sucked into the Pensieve, he finds himself in a new world with a chance at a new life… but is does this new world truly bring everything he hoped for? Harry struggles with true love, courage, sacrifice, and above all, finding himself. HP/GW, some RW/HG, and NL/LL

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A/N: Italics usually indicate Harry's thoughts, or if indicated, a flashback.

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Chapter 1: Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am merely using JK Rowling's creations in my story.

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Harry Potter looked up as Professor McGonagall said his name. His scar was still throbbing painfully and his eyes were beginning to water from the constant pain.

"Mr. Potter? Should I fetch Madame Pomfrey?"

"No, Professor. I'll be all right," Harry managed to say, gritting his teeth. The pain was beginning to subside slightly. "I – I had a dream."

Headmistress McGonagall and Ron both knew by now that this was no normal dream. After all, this was Harry Potter they were both looking at.

"Yes?" the woman prompted a little sharply.

Ron looked at Harry encouragingly, who took a deep breath and began to speak.

--- Flashback---

_Harry lay in bed and shut his eyes; trying to get some sleep, which was becoming increasingly difficult for him. For almost a month, there had been no word… no slight whispering of Voldemort. This made Harry very tense, because he knew that the Dark Lord was planning something big, but at the moment, he had no idea what to expect. _

_The Daily Prophet had run out of things to write about and had contented itself with writing a bunch of crap about Harry and his friends. Oh well, he was used to it. The only good rumor that had come out of this was that Harry's girlfriend was some pretty-faced 6th-year Hufflepuff. At least that took the attention off of Ginny. Not like she had really spoken to him anyway. They had been avoiding each other consistently. _

_Harry sighed and forced Ginny out of his mind. He lost his train of thought…_

_Harry was worried…_

"_Master?" Peter Pettigrew said to him._

"_Yes Wormtail?" he hissed._

"_With Dumbledore gone, out work on the wards has progressed, Master."_

"_How so, Wormtail? Have they broken down yet?"_

_Peter managed to grin slightly. "Master, we are getting close. The wards should be completely broken in two weeks."_

_He raised an eyebrow. "The last day of school before Christmas vacation is in one and a half weeks, Wormtail. I will be most disappointed if you do not accomplish your task by then."_

"_No, Master, I will not disappoint you," Wormtail said hastily._

"_Good. We will attack Hogwarts on the last day before break, during their silly little Christmas feast. What a lovely Christmas present it will be for Potter and his friends."_

"_Indeed, Master."_

"_We will surround them. Half of the Death Eaters will apparate near the main gates, and the other half will apparate at the opposite end of the school. Do you understand me?"_

"_Yes, Master. Of course, Master…"_

"_Enough. I'll send Lucius to take care of our dear Headmistress first, while Severus sends up the Dark Mark. Do I make myself clear, Wormtail?"_

"_Perfectly, Master."_

"_Good. One and a half weeks."_

--- End Flashback ---

Harry finished depicting the Dark Lord's plans, staring at the floor. Finally, the Headmistress spoke.

"Potter, you are… _positive_… this was not a dream?" she said carefully.

"Professor, I am absolutely positive! We need to prepare for this!" Harry exclaimed with an edge to his voice.

"Harry, remember when Voldemort set you up though? When… er – in 5th year?" Ron said just as carefully.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you just say it, Ron! _When I killed Sirius!_ There, I said what you meant. Happy now?" he practically yelled.

"No, mate, that's not what I meant…"

"That's enough, you two. Mr. Weasley, I must ask you to go back to bed. Mr. Potter, please wait here while I fetch some of the Professors."

Harry nodded, still irritated. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Ron looking at him apologetically.

"Harry, I'm sorry…" he began.

Harry sighed, his temper deflating slightly. "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. I shouldn't have blown up at you like that."

"Mr. Weasley?" Professor McGonagall called.

"Coming, Professor," Ron said hastily. He gave Harry one last glance before leaving.

"I'll be back, Potter," McGonagall said. "Have a seat."

Harry sighed heavily and sank into a chair. His head gave a painful throb with the impact. He massaged his forehead in frustration. He was sick of being "the boy who lived"… he never asked for the silly title.

Harry felt his temper rising again. He realized no that there was no one else in the room and let his feelings out. "Why me, huh? Thanks a lot, Voldemort, I really appreciate you picking me as your equal! I feel sofreaking _honored._ Oh, and you know what else? You made me famous! Yeah that's right! Your little stunt made your worst enemy a _hero_. Well I guess you must be satisfied now, huh? Hell, you're probably sitting there right now, laughing your ass off at me. I WANT OUT! Everyone close to me ends up dead or hurt! I just can't take this anymore! WHY ME? WHY COULDN'T SOMEONE ELSE BE THEDAMN BOY WHO LIVED? I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS! AND I SURE AS HELL DIDN'T…"

"Harry?"

Harry stopped in his tracks. He knew that voice… but it couldn't be…

"Harry?" the voice repeated.

Harry slowly turned around to see Dumbledore looking at him through tired eyes. From his portrait, of course.

Harry stared at him in shock. "P-Professor, I thought… they said that… you were… er-"

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah… it seems as if I have taken a rather long nap, Harry. I do apologize."

Harry's anger deflated instantly into embarrassment. "Er… sorry about the yelling," he muttered before quickly changing the subject. "Professor McGonagall said that you would appear to be asleep in the portrait for at least a year before you could wake up."

"Indeed. Well, it seems I have finally been able to rouse myself for the time being. I knew I could find a way around this silly one year rule," Dumbledore winked at him.

Harry managed a slight chuckle.

"Harry, I did happen to hear your rather, er, _loud_ discussion earlier." Harry looked away, obviously embarrassed. "Don't worry, everyone has their moments. Even me."

Harry looked up, bewildered. "Even you?" he asked in disbelief. "I honestly can't picture you screaming at anyone, Professor."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Ah, yes. Well, let's not get into that… it's been a long time. I have something that I would like for you to see. Harry, I don't have time for explanations, but I ask you, do you see my Pensieve over there?"

"Professor, I-"

"Harry, do not worry. You'll find that we can talk later. As of now, this is most important for you to see."

"But, Professor McGonagall-" Harry began again.

"Shh, Harry. It would benefit you to enter the Pensieve once again. Use your left hand, and stir it twice to the left, or counterclockwise, whichever you prefer."

Harry sighed. He did, however, have an immense amount of respect for the man and trusted his every word, so he did as he was told. Harry slowly walked over to the Pensieve. He considered the mysterious substance for a moment, and then stuck his left hand into the mixture. Harry gasped. It was strangely gooey and rather cold to the touch. He braced himself for a sudden fall and quickly made two complete, counterclockwise circles. Nothing happened.

"Professor…" Harry began, but he was cut off. Suddenly, he felt himself being sucked into the Pensieve… he was spinning rapidly…

spinning…

falling…

spinning…

falling…

Then, he found himself sitting at a table in the Hogwarts library. He looked up and saw a boy with a lightning bolt scar sitting across from him. The boy looked at Harry with concern.

"Harry, are you alright? You look a bit peaky," said the boy.

Harry's gaze travelled down from the lightning bolt scar to the boy's face, to see none other than Neville Longbottom.

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Uh oh, kind of a cliffie! Please review… I'll update faster if I get more reviews. You don't have to write much… any suggestions would be nice. You could even guess where the story is heading if you want ;)

REVIEW!

Oh and the chapters do get longer…

kelsey


	2. A New Boy Who Lived

Chapter 2: A New Boy Who Lived

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. Got it?

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"_Harry, are you alright? You look a bit peaky," said the boy._

_Harry's gaze travelled down from the lightning bolt scar to the boy's face, to see none other than Neville Longbottom._

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Harry blinked a few times to find that he was still seeing Neville Longbottom with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Was he going insane? Harry unconsciously raised his hand up to his own forehead.

Neville frowned. "Headache, Harry? Great Merlin, you're starting to get like me. I get headaches all the time." Harry glanced around to see what appeared to be a perfectly normalRon and Hermione. Both were looking at him sympathetically. Harry sighed in relief. At least they didn't look different.

"Yeah… j-just a headache. I'll, er, be off to the nurse then. See you guys later," Harry stuttered and rushed off. _Hmm, this might be a _tad_ bit more serious than a headache, Sherlock. HALLUCINATIONS? _What the hell had Dumbledore done to him? When Harry had entered a Pensieve before, he couldn't be seen. Here, his friends were interacting with him! Harry rushed into the bathrooms and looked in the mirror. Yep, he looked the same, all right. But wait…

Harry gasped. His scar was gone. It just wasn't there!

He pinched himself. He splashed cold water on his face. He even banged his head against the wall a few times.

_Now I really _do_ have a headache,_ Harry thought. Unfortunately, this did nothing for his predicament. _I need to see Dumbledore… now._

Harry rushed out of the bathrooms and was practically running to the headmistress' office. _Oh, that portrait is _so _going to be ripped to shreds when I'm done with it._

Harry rounded a corner and almost ran smack into an older boy. "Watch yourself!" the boy exclaimed, annoyed. "Who are you, anyway?"

Harry practically gaped at him. "Harry Potter," he said dully. _Duh?_

The boy frowned. "Just because you're a prefect, doesn't give you special privileges, Mr. Potter. I happen to be head boy, and you don't see me running around the school."

"Right," Harry said. How come this boy didn't know him? Everyone knew him! But wait, the boy said he was a _prefect_? What about Ron? Ron was a prefect, not him! But as Harry glanced down at his robes, he was shocked to see the prefect badge displayed prominently on them.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," the boy said sharply, "and don't let this happen again. You should be setting a better example for the students."

Harry was still in shock and hardly noticed as the boy walked away. He finally stumbled his way to the Headmistress' office.

"Pigmy Puff," Harry stated. McGonagall sure did pick random passwords. He frowned as the staircase did not allow him inside. _Oh bloody hell,_ Harry thought. _Stupid Dumbledore sent me off into this stupid place where the stupid password isn't the same… and stupid me was stupid enough to stupidly run into – _

"Hey… Harry!"

…_stupid Neville. Stupid, stupid, stupid… Wait, Neville?_

Harry spun around. "Stu- er, Neville? What are you doing here?" He studied the boy before him carefully. To Harry's dismay, he couldn't find the clumsy, innocent boy he knew. On Neville's face lay a strained smile, which appeared as more like a grimace. Where was the goofy grin that Harry knew?

Neville frowned, trying to avert attention from himself. "Well, the question is, what are _you_ doing here, Harry? I thought you were off to the nurse's office for a headache?"

"It… went away," Harry stated lamely.

"Oh… right," Neville said quietly. There was a brief awkward silence until Neville broke it.

"Well, I'm off to see the Headmaster. I'll see you later," Neville said, clearly trying to dismiss him.

Harry noticed Neville's mistake of calling McGonagall the headmaster, but ignored it. Sure, everyone was used to going to see the former head_master_, Dumbledore, not the current head_mistress_, McGonagall. It really took some getting used to. Just thinking about Dumbledore brought about a familiar ache in Harry that he couldn't recognize or force out. He let anger replace the strange feeling. The unknownfeeling scared him, and only his temper could block it out at times.

"Well, I really have to see the Headmistress alone, do you think you could come back later? It's important," Harry said quickly, not meaning to be rude, but he was getting quite impatient.

Neville frowned. "Headmistress… what…"

Harry felt a pang of that familiar ache again. He gritted his teeth as he felt his anger rise for no reason. "Look, Neville, I really need to talk to the Headmistress as well. Let's both go up there and we can talk to her, okay? _Separately_? This is important."

Neville seemed unsure. "Alright," he finally said, giving Harry a weird look.

"I don't know the password, though," said Harry.

"Lemon drop," Neville stated loudly, and the staircase allowed them inside.

Harry sighed. In this place, McGonagall was using Dumbledore's passwords? Why?

Finally, Neville and Harry reached the top. Just before Harry could knock, the door flew open to reveal the 'headmistress.'

Harry fainted.

---

Harry was having the strangest dream. He dreamed that he had been whisked into a pensieve and that Neville Longbottom had his lightning bolt scar, while his scar was nowhere to be seen. And most shockingly, in his dream, Harry had come face to face with an old, but perfectly alive and well, Albus Dumbledore.

How absurd. Dumbledore was dead, and Harry Potter was definitely the Boy Who Lived.

Then Harry heard voices. _Phew, that weird dream is over._ He kept his eyes closed and listened.

"Will he be alright?" a boy asked.

"Yes, Mr. Longbottom, Harry will be fine."

Harry's eyes shot open. That voice belonged to Albus Dumbledore! _God, I'm still having that peculiar dream… bloody hell Harry, wake up! Oh, when I get my hands on Dumbledore's portrait…_

"But sir, why did he faint?" the boy, who Harry now knew was Neville, said.

"I suppose we will ask him later, shall we? Now, Neville, why have you come to see me?"

There was a slight pause before Neville continued.

"Professor, I had another dream."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for coming to see me about this. Do continue."

Neville took a deep breath. "It wasn't a vision this time. It was…I.." Neville swallowed and looked at the ground. "I saw my parents being tortured. A woman was using Crucio over and over again. I couldn't recognize her."

Dumbledore frowned, and Neville was trembling slightly. The old man put his hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"I-I…," Neville stuttered, his eyes were tearing up. "Is that how they died?" he whispered.

Harry could take no more. "WHAT!" he cried.

Neville jumped and Dumbledore just glanced at him.

"Oh, Harry, you're awake! What happened?" Neville asked, full of concern. Harry didn't respond but continued to stare at Dumbledore in shock. His shock quickly turned to anger.

"Harry, why don't you lay down for a little while," Dumbledore suggested.

Harry ignored him. "Why didn't you tell him?" he said, teeth clenched.

Dumbledore looked genuinely puzzled. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. Why did you lie to him?" Harry muttered viciously.

"I assure you I did not lie, Harry," Dumbledore said, giving Harry a look. "I am going to ask you to sit down for a while, please-"

"YOU LIED!" Harry shouted in rage. "How could you tell Neville that his parents are dead when they were tortured into insanity and are at St. Mungo's as we speak!"

Dumbledore stared Harry down until he was forced to look away. "Neville, I think Harry has a concussion… so please do not take offense to anything he might say over the next week or so. Now, Harry, you'd better be off to Madame Pomfrey…"

"No," Harry said quickly.

Dumbledore sighed. "Then if you are to stay here, then I ask you to lie down and relax due to the _concussion_ of yours," Dumbledore said, winking forcefully at him. Harry reluctantly obeyed. Dumbledore was acting quite suspiciously.

"Neville, it is time that I told you some things. I am truly sorry that I did not talk to you earlier, but your grandmother would not allow it. She has realized that she cannot protect you forever, and it is time that I tell you what I should have years ago. I am going to tell you everything.

"Your parents were Aurors who worked against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Frank happened to be one of the best young Aurors we had at the time. Voldemort made it his goal to target all Aurors that were a threat to him and his followers. And once you were next on Voldemort's hit list, it was impossible to get off of it, and very difficult to protect yourself.

"At one time, your parents were just two other strong Aurors that Voldemort planned to eventually eliminate when the time was right. They were in just as much danger as a lot of other Aurors, especially the ones in the Order. Then… things changed."

"One day, as I was in search of a new Divination teacher (a subject I happen to find a complete waste of time, but was, and still is,required), I came across a Prophecy being made…" then Dumbledore began to recite the Prophecy that Harry knew all too well. He whispered along as Dumbledore slowly recited.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

When Dumbledore finished with the Prophecy, Neville didn't say a word. After what seemed like an hour, Neville spoke.

"What does this mean?" he whispered hoarsely.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "The only one who can kill Voldemort was born at the end of July, to start…"

"It's me, isn't it?" Neville said softly. "Why else would you be telling me this?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I'm afraid it is you."

Harry shot up. "WHAT?" he cried again.

"Harry I trust you will tell no one this information?" Dumbledore asked rather sternly.

"Yes sir," Harry said, quite confused. _Neville_ was supposed to defeat Voldemort? _Neville_ had to kill or be killed? _Neville_, the toad-losing, clumsy, sweet boy? No, this couldn't be happening…

Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Neville were discussing the prophecy.

"You must kill Voldemort, or…"

"I will die," Neville whispered.

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives._

Harry sighed. _This has got to be some joke, some… distraction. I'm supposed to kill Voldemort, I know that! Dumbledore's trying to distract Voldemort, that's it. Get him thinking that Neville is a threat to him. All right, that's why Dumbledore was trying to shut me up every time I said something. Wait a minute, Dumbledore isn't even alive! Holy crap, this is _really_ messing with my head… Deep breaths, Harry. That's it. ARGH, what has the crazy old kook done to me?_

"As I was saying, this Prophecy changed everything," Dumbledore continued. "When he found out about the Prophecy, he decided to eliminate his so-called equal before he could pose a threat. There were two babies that fit the prophecy… one is yourself. The other is Harry Potter."

Harry hardly even reacted to the news, while Neville's mouth fell open in shock.

"Harry's parents, as well as yours, had faced Voldemort three times and survived. Both of yours and Harry's parents were considerably talented Aurors. Voldemort had no idea as to which of you would be his equal, and he couldn't afford to make a mistake. He consulted his inner circle of Death Eaters in the matter, which I myself find quite surprising. They advised him to kill the pureblood first, and then go for the halfblood.

"I predicted that Voldemort would try to kill the halfblood first, since Voldemort himself was a halfblood (unknown to his Death Eaters). Instead, Voldemort showed up at your house, Neville. He killed both of your parents… but when he tried to kill you, his spell backfired. That's how you got your scar, and what led to Voldemort's downfall for over eleven years…" Neville nodded since he already knew much of this information.

Harry now understood. _Wow, _he thought, _Voldemort asking for advice from his Death Eaters… that doesn't sound like him. But him asking for advice, that's the one thing that made a huge difference in this world. That's the reason Neville is Voldemort's equal, not me. That's the reason Neville has my scar right now. _

_Amazing how one simple decision can alter the world so immensely._

_Amazing how one simple decision…_

_Gave me a new chance for a new life… in a new kind of world._

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There's the next chapter! Does everything make sense? More stuff will be explained in later chapters… be patient with me! Sorry if this chapter was boring… but the next chapter will not be full of explanations, it might even have a little HP/GW in it!

REVIEW! Remember, the more reviews… the faster update… I usually have nearly finished the next chapter before I post the one before it.

kelsey


	3. A New Girl

Chapter 3: A New Girl

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter. Got it?

A/N: I know you might hate me for this chapter, but keep in mind, this is a HP/GW fic. Don't get discouraged… just remember that! I have to add a little drama right?

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_Amazing how one simple decision can alter the world so immensely._

_Amazing how one simple decision…_

_Gave me a new chance for a new life… in a new kind of world._

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Harry glanced at the Headmaster, then at Neville, then back at the Headmaster. He had so many questions… so many things he needed to know. What else was different? What else had changed?

Dumbledore seemed to notice Harry's curiosity and raised an eyebrow in his direction. Harry looked at Neville once again and sighed. He couldn't interrogate Dumbledore in front of Neville. That would make him seem crazy.

_Then again, you apparently have a concussion, genius. That was a good one, Dumbledore. Real good._

"Well, Neville, you'd best be off. Harry, I daresay your concussion might leave you confused for a few weeks, eh?" He turned to Neville. "His memory may be slightly affected… and he may possibly remember things that have not actually happened. Right, Harry?" Dumbledore suggested.

"Er, right," Harry agreed unconvincingly. "Right. Professor, may I speak with you? _Alone_?"

The Headmaster grinned. "Ah, Harry, I have a meeting with the Minister of Magic in half an hour, so I'm afraid this will have to wait."

Harry gritted his teeth. _He's grinning. The old bat is _grinning_! He's doing this on purpose. Oh sod it all. He knows something, I know he does. Why won't he tell me?_

"Alright," Harry said reluctantly, flashing Dumbledore the fiercest glare he could muster, considering he was ecstatic that the old man was there to blow him off in the first place, instead of being as dead as a doornail.

"Neville, I'd like to see you next Tuesday for a little chat. Would you mind meeting me here around seven o'clock?"

"Sure thing, Professor," Neville replied in a monotone.

"Excellent. Good day to the both of you. Neville, I trust you will inform your friends of Harry's condition?"

"Okay, I will. Bye Professor." Harry just nodded at the old man, narrowing his eyes.

Harry and Neville walked back to the Gryffindor dorms together. "Well, Harry, I hope you're feeling better?" Neville inquired cheerfully.

Harry gaped at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked the boy in wonderment.

Neville frowned. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Why would you think anything is wrong with me, when clearly nothing is the matter. No, I'm positive that everything-"

"Neville," Harry said firmly, "Did you honestly hear a word Dumbledore just said?"

Neville paused. "Yes, Harry. As a matter of fact, I did," he said rather coldly. "And I have decided not to dwell on it. I'm just going to live my life. Prophecies change. Look at me… I'm obviously not the one to do this. Someone else can do it, because I sure as hell can't."

Harry stared at Neville. "I know this seems so unreal, but you need to realize… nothing will ever be the same. You were picked to do this…" he died off uncertainly. Harry had never been good at pep talks, but he was trying his best to make Neville understand. He cleared his throat.

"As weird as this may seem, I went through the same thing," Harry chose his words carefully. _Too bad you didn't. Not in this world, at least._ "A prophecy was made about me, and at first, I tried to deny it. I became angry with everyone around me, as if they were to blame. I didn't want to feel… I pushed my emotions to the side, only to be replaced with anger. Neville, this prophecy isn't going to change. The task is yours to complete, no one else's." _Except mine. But now, I get a chance to live without this task. It'll be great! Right?_

Neville began to walk faster. "Can you just leave me alone, Harry? You have no idea what I'm going through right now. All the signs over the years, and my grandmother kept all of this from me. And who do you think you are, telling me that you went through the same thing? What the hell is that about?" Neville demanded.

Harry sighed. _It's more than you know, Neville._

"Er, nothing. I can't tell you…" Harry said unconvincingly. "You wouldn't believe me anyway. It must have been the concussion," Harry concluded.

Neville's expression softened. "Oh. Sorry. Anyways, Harry – Oh, hey Ginny!" Neville nodded to the girl passing by.

Harry's breath caught in his throat. His heart gave a fluttering feeling at the mere sight of her. She smiled at Neville, that very smile that melted Harry's heart, and then looked nervously at him. He sighed. At least she wasn't glaring daggers at him still for breaking up with her.

"Er, Harry?" she spoke nervously. Harry forced himself to lessen the intensity of his gaze and glanced at her in shock. Now they were on speaking terms?

"Y-yeah?" Harry stuttered.

Ginny sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about-"

"Gin, what are you apologizing for? I'm the one who broke up with you."

There was an eerie silence that seemed to last for a full minute. "P-pardon?" Ginny asked.

"You _what_?" Neville questioned.

Harry frowned. "You heard me. I'm truly sorry if I broke your heart, Gin, but you have to realize why I did it. You have to understand, it's for your own good. I have to protect you, Gin." _I, er, _had_ to? Where I came from. Uh, yeah._

Ginny gaped at him, then looked at Neville. "Harry, are you feeling all right?" she questioned, putting a hand to his forehead. Shivers went down Harry's spine. Realization dawned on Neville, suddenly.

"Ohh, hey Ginny? Harry suddenly fainted in front of Dumbledore's office, and he has a concussion. Dumbledore said that he would remember some things that haven't happened… just give him a few weeks and he'll be fine."

Harry put on a convincing expression, which worked wonderfully, seeing as he really was extremely confused.

Ginny nodded. "Well, as I was saying, Harry, I just wanted to apologize. You know, for callingHillary a bi-"

"Heyy, Harry," crooned a female voice from behind Harry. He spun around to find a girl standing there with one hand on her hip. She had long, blonde hair, blue eyes, and long legs. _Whoa_, Harry thought, as he stared at the girl before him, his gaze travelling down her V-neck, way too low, shirt.

"Like what you see?" The girl whispered seductively with a wink. Harry blushed and tore his gaze away.

"Er…" Harry stuttered, but was quickly interrupted.

"Harry, darling," she said in a sickly sweet voice, "I have told you before, you absolutely _cannot_ associate with _her_." She gestured towards Ginny. Harry caught Ginny clenching her fists as her face grew red as a tomato. Her Weasley temper was rising quickly. Neville, meanwhile, was also staring at the girl, but Ginny elbowed him and he looked away, obviously embarrassed.

Harry normally would've fiercely defended the redhead beside him, but circumstances right now were in _no way_ close to normal. He was mesmerized by this blonde, long-legged beauty.

"I – er…wait what do you mean?" he stuttered in a daze. Harry did not notice Ginny rolling her eyes as they flashed dangerously. She had her arms crossed defensively across her chest. She cut in quickly, her words slicing through the air with venom.

"Why hello, Hillary. Long time no see. It has to have been… oh dear Merlin above …since _this morning_! What is this world coming to!" Ginny gasped in exaggerated shock.

Hillary cast Ginny a look of superiority and hatred. "Harry, darling, we'd best be getting away from her. It isn't worth your time. Besides, we have more… _important_ things to do, right Harrykins?" she crooned, raising an eyebrow suggestively and winking in the direction of a nearby broom closet.

Harry didn't reply (oh, actually, he did. It was a sort of grunting/gurgling noise. But to Hillary, it most certainly meant yes), which prompted the girl to seize his arm and drag him off towards the broom closet.

"Bloody 6th year Hufflepuff," Ginny fumed at the two retreating figures. "Harry is a really sweet person, but when he's around that girl he just becomes a pile of mush."

"Yeah," Neville said dreamily as he stared at Hillary.

"EARTH TO NEVILLE!" Ginny shrieked and waved her hand in front of the boy's face.

"Oh, er… right. _Right_. I agree," Neville stated firmly. God, he did hate her, no matter how hott she was. She put most of the Hogwarts male population under a spell or something. And she took advantage of that. Majorly.

---

Harry was so shocked that he hardly registered what was happening. A half hour later, he _gracefully stepped_ (try… tripped and fell on the floor) out of the broom closet, his glasses crooked, hair more wild than usual, with wrinkled clothes and lipstick smeared across his face.

What a lovely sight to see.

He stumbled back to the Gryffindor dorms in a daze and sunk into a bed. He was completely exhausted. He wondered why his brain was in such a fog. He couldn't think! Harry let his weary mind relax and sunk his head further into the pillow. What a day.

_He was walking out of the dorm now. He walked into the Gryffindor common room and sank into a couch. At the same time, Ginny walked through the portrait and saw him. She glared at him coldly and held her head high as she quickly walked across the room without sparing him another glance. She disappeared up the stairs to the girls' dorms a moment later._

_His scar gave painful throb and he cried out in pain. _

_Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas were pointing at him suspiciously. _

_Rita Skeeter had written another ridiculous article about him. _

_He was also banned from playing Quidditch for the rest of his life. _

_Whispers broke out everywhere in the Great Hall, before Harry realized he was in the common room. How silly of him. _

_But soon enough, Madame Pomfrey was forcing a Dreamless Sleep potion down his throat._

_Harry slept without dreaming for a couple hours…days…decades…eternity. Nothing mattered at the moment. Time was relative._

_Suddenly, Cedric appeared… then Sirius… then Dumbledore. They all frowned at him and turned away. Harry continued floating in a sea of nothingness… but wait._

_Then Voldemort's sneering face was just inches from Harry's. His wand raised, and lowered. _

"_I choose you," the Dark Lord said viciously. A green flash engulfed him._

Harry woke up with a start. He was breathing heavily and his scar was aching…er… sorry… his scar was _not there_. My apologies, the author had a brain fart and narrowly avoided using this typical and seemingly cliché line. Please do continue reading.

Harry's mind was sluggishly trying to process what was going on. _I must have fallen asleep… what a terrible dream. How horrible it would be to live like that. Thank Merlin none of _that_ ever came close to happening. _

Soon enough, Harry let himself fall asleep again and the dream went in a different direction.

"_Harry, have you seen my Remembrall? I seem to have lost it," said Neville, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "You seem to have a certain talent for retrieving it, eh?" He said with a clumsy grin plastered on his face._

_Harry grinned as he held the tiny, golden Snitch in his hand and the crowd erupted into cheers._

_A party was raging in the Gryffindor common room as a result of the Quidditch Cup being won. In a daze, Harry grabbed a certain redhead and kissed her firmly on the lips. He could almost see fireworks going off…_

_Fred and George Weasley were gripping their brooms triumphantly, much to the dismay of Umbridge. "Give her hell from us, Peeves."_

_Hagrid was taking Harry shopping. This was all so surreal… hours ago Harry had no idea that he was a wizard at all, and now, he was the proud owner of a wand, an owl, and much more! Hagrid gave Harry his ticket to the train, leaving Harry in excitement._

_He looked down at the Ginny lying on the cold stone floor in the Chamber of Secrets. He was relieved to find her still alive… and beautiful as ever to him…_

_Harry laughed despite his uncle's presence. His Aunt Marge was rapidly inflating, rather like a balloon. _

Harry groggily woke up once more. His brain was in another fog. _That was a much better dream. I could live like that._

Harry suddenly regained his senses and sat up tiredly. When he realized the content of his dreams, he groaned. Everything was so confusing.

But now, he was in a new world. He didn't even have to be the Boy Who Lived! He could lead a normal life without the wizarding world's burden on his shoulders. He could only begin to fathom the opportunities!

But why wasn't he excited? This world could bring everything he ever wanted. What was the hesitation in Harry's mind?

Harry tried to shake his uneasiness from his shoulders, but it wouldn't shove.

What was wrong with him?

Why couldn't he just be happy?

---

A/N: Hmm, I wonder why? Sorry for the longish wait. I'll try to update a couple more times before "hell week" (band camp from 8am-5pm, oh joyous). Tennis tryouts are from 9-11am that week also so I basically have no time to write. Any suggestions? Ideas? You know what to do.

REVIEW!

Oh, and who likes the idea of Harry having a slutty girlfriend? Haha. I mean, his father was quite the womanizer, and if Harry isn't the Boy Who Lived with rumors flying around, he could possibly be like his father. Hmm?

Again, REVIEW! I really want more reviews ;)


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